Episode 22: Those Beyond Ordinary
Those Beyond Ordinary is the twenty-second episode of the Shokugeki no Soma anime. Plot Summary In Block B, Miyoko Hōjō is the next candidate to be judged. Her Pineapple Fried Curry Rice receives 87 points, pushing aside Nao Sadatsuka into third place. Her dish was reminiscent of Chinese sweet and sour pork. By baking stir-fried rice in a hollowed pineapple, she transferred the pineapple's fragrance into the rice without drying it out. Shingo Andō visualizes Miyoko as a kung-fu master cloaked in a dragon of fire, and dubs her the "Iron Fire Dragon Girl". It is as if Miyoko's dish was striking a powerful blow against all men. Meanwhile, Shōji Satō and Daigo Aoki rush into the Block A stadium. Fully expecting an uproar, they were surprised at the utter silence. The root cause was Natsume Sendawara, who had just given zero points to a candidate... Back in Block B, Yūki Yoshino's Duck Cutlet Curry receives 86, bringing her to third place. Osaji Kita expressed satisfaction at her dish. The flavor of duck permeated her dish, but the combination of turmeric and orange tempered the gaminess of the dish. Andō observes that she must have good connections with hunters, since she was able to acquire such top-notch game. Osaji invites Yūki to join his gourmet club, a prospect that filled her with giddiness. From the sidelines, Fumio Daimidō comments that Yūki's cheerfulness attracts people and then pierces their hearts with her cooking, dubbing her young charge the "Little Red Riding Hood of the Forest of Wild Beasts". The Aldini twins are next, with Isami Aldini's Curry Bread Calzone up first. Instead of the usual mozzarella cheese and pizza fillings, Isami used curry as the filling. Tomato juice was used instead of any other liquid and mixed with spices that pair well with the tomatoes' natural acidity, resulting in a rich curry full of the tomato's umami. The traditional pizza dough used by Isami is chewy and sweet, and when combined with the curry, provided an impressive fusion of Japanese curry bread with Italian cuisine. Satoshi Isshiki thinks to himself that although many considered Isami as the lesser Aldini, he was in fact a fellow "Adventurer in New Culinary Horizons" much like his brother. Isami receives a score of 87, putting him in second place tied with Hōjō. Nao is pushed out into fifth place and out of the main tournament, but she continues to laugh and admire Hisako Arato. Takumi Aldini presents another Italian dish, his Naporitan Curry Fettuccine, which the judges found unimpressive at first compared to his younger brother's dish. That changes after a single bite: the curry, which used a wheatless tamari soy sauce as the base, immediately assaults their senses. Takumi also incorporated parmesan cheese into the pasta, which is layered between turmeric outer layers. The resulting combination of tamari sauce and parmesan cheese provides a harmonious fusion of Japanese and Italian cuisine, causing Orie Sendawara to dub Takumi as another "Pioneer in the World of Food". Isami watches the judges' reactions, and is reminded of the past. Back in Italy, Isami was envious of the customers' praise for Takumi's cooking, and tried to improve it. The result damped down the flavor, and earned him a tongue-lashing from his father. Takumi consoles his brother, telling him they are both like the half-moon Mezzaluna; when the two of them work together in lockstep as one, Trattoria Aldini will become the best in Italy. Isami admits to himself that Takumi has bested him again, and this is confirmed by Takumi's score of 90, which brings him to second place. Alice Nakiri grew tired of waiting and served the judges before Urara Kawashima announced her name, earning the latter's ire. Alice's Thermal Sense Curry stunned the normally-talkative judges into silence. Even Shingo, who is a renowned food writer, couldn't describe the deliciousness of Alice's dish in words. Alice's dish, which has a tomato mousse hardened with sodium alginate, consisted of three components: a mousse made from turmeric and foie gras, a flash-frozen puree made from potatoes and six types of cheeses, and spice-flavored pie crust. Alice's dish leverages "thermal sense", a principle of molecular gastronomy that combines dishes of differing temperatures. Her expertise causes Orie to dub Alice as a "Global Innovator". Alice receives a near-perfect score of 95, garnering 19 points from each judge. With Isami Aldini and Miyoko Hōjō tied in fourth place, the judges prepare to vote on which candidate would advance to the main tournament. But there one candidate is left... Megumi Tadokoro. The perceived anticlimax of Megumi's dish causes a pall of gloom to hang over the judges, and gained the ire of the crowd and the emcee. She receives enthusiastic support from a group of fishermen who took time from fishing to watch her. Megumi's Monkfish Dobu-Jiru Curry is a traditional hot pot passed down by fishermen that used goosefish as the main ingredient. She used sauteed monkfish liver, miso, and sake to form the curry's base. To this she added monkfish meet and several vegetables used in Megumi's hometown. Compared to Alice's dish, Megumi made a very human dish that conveys the emotion of Megumi's hometown. When Megumi gained renown in her hometown as an accomplished chef, her mother advised her to join the Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, if only to expand her horizons. As the judges grade her dish, Satoshi notes that it is time for Megumi to emerge from her insular world, spread her wings, and take flight. She receives 88 points, pushing both Isami and Moyoko out of fourth place, and qualifies for the main tournament! The fishermen's cheers for Megumi causes Miyoko to reevaluate her combative stance in the kitchen, and decides to emulate Megumi's gentle camaraderie instead. Back in Block A, the atmosphere is still tense. Even the emcee, Yua Sasaki, is completely intimidated as Natsumi gives zero points to the latest candidate in front of her. Shun Ibusaki and Ryōko Sakaki comment that she has yet to give a single point to the more-than-ten dishes presented to her, even though Sōma Yukihira considered them pretty good. Although the stadium is cowed, the next candidate to present, Ryō Kurokiba, looks completely indifferent... Characters in Order of Appearance Featured Dishes * Miyoko Hōjō's Pineapple Fried Curry Rice * Yūki Yoshino's Duck Cutlet Curry * Isami Aldini's Curry Bread Calzone * Takumi Aldini's Naporitan Curry Fettuccine * Alice Nakiri's Thermal Sense Curry * Megumi Tadokoro's Goosefish Dobu-Jiru Curry Manga and Anime Differences * In the manga, Etsuya Eizan advises Natsume to be more tactful after she savaged a candidate's dish. However, Etsuya did not appear in the episode. * The manga intercuts between the tasting in Groups A and B; this episode finishes Group B and Group A is saved for later. * The manga flashback where Isami decides to stay a while longer was moved to Episode 20. * In addition to Alice's score, which the manga breaks down at 19 points per judge, and Megumi's score, which was partially broken down to Osaji's 17 points and Shingo's 18 points, the anime fully showed the composition of the following candidates: * Part of the flashback in the manga, where Megumi learned how to butcher the hanging monkfish, was moved to Episode 21. Trivia * The title "Those Beyond Ordinary" shares the same title with Chapter 50: Those Beyond Ordinary. * The manga title refers to Megumi Tadokoro, who displayed hidden skill in butchering the monkfish. Since these events were depicted in the previous episode, the anime title refers to the various participants of Block B whose dishes were featured in the episode. With high scores in the 80s and 90s, their skills were definitely beyond ordinary since just about all of them were given nicknames by various cooking luminaries. Navigation zh:動畫第22集：超越日常之物 Category:Anime Category:Episode Category:Tōtsuki Autumn Election Arc